Inflatable packaging cushions for cushioning products in cartons are known in the art as a substitute for foam pellets, air pillows, fitted and unfitted foam blocks and corrugated support structures.
Foam pellets are placed in cartons surrounding a product to fill voids and separate the product from the walls of the carton and to cushion the product. Foam pellets have disadvantages in that they take a substantial amount of shipping and storage space to make them available at the point of use, and are labor intensive to achieve proper placement and cushioning of the product within its carton. They are also difficult to dispose of after use, and are difficult to recycle. They require substantial amount of raw materials and cost to fabricate and transport.
Individual, small air pillows are often used in place of foam pellets to fill voids in cartons, but are also difficult to place operatively for full protection, and are generally not used for products that require a high level of protection and reliability in their packaging.
Foam blocks that are shaped to accommodate a product and to fit snuggly in cartons while supporting the product are also popular. However, they suffer many of the same disadvantages as foam pellets, in that they are expensive to fabricate, occupy substantial amount of space in shipping to the point of use and in inventory prior to use, and are relatively labor intensive to place on a product. They are also bulky and difficult to dispose of, both in the first at the point of unpacking and in recycling.
Corrugated support structures have also been used to support a product within a carton, but are relatively expensive, and are also labor intensive to install on the product and fit into a carton, and may not provide an appropriate level of cushioning or vibration protection. When combined with thermoplastic suspension panels, they are not easily recycled.
There have been many custom inflatable packaging cushions designed and used with particular products. One such example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,848, which discloses a generally clam-shaped inflatable packaging cushion that accepts products such as television set top boxes. Although this and other such prior inflatable packaging cushions provide good protection for the product, they generally occupy a substantial volume which requires the use of large cartons and results in higher shipping costs, and often designed for a product or product box of a specific size, which limits their general usefulness.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved packaging cushions.